White House: Your Questions on the Economy

The White House has on their web site a forum to submit questions for the president on the economy. And then people vote on which questions are to be asked.

All of the top entries are bogus questions where people simply want hand outs, and most of it has to do with college loans, it seems most of the entries are from college students. So we see more of this administration's 'Tax the productive segment of our economy more, in order to give it to the less productive.' That will be the inevitable response. Certainly this whole internet question idea is simply more silliness from this administration, Obambi is showing his lack of seriousness, certainly he has no Gravitas, he's a babe in the woods.

How about some serious fixes, like freezing capital gains taxes. If the Democrats allow capital gains taxes to increase next year, which is slated to happen by law without any votes, then whatever recovery that may come in short term will inevitably evaporate in the long run. But this administration is blind to the kinds of long term economic fixes that have worked in the past, under many other administrations, including Reagan, Kennedy and Bush.

Here are my responses, frankly the answers Obama should use, answers that would actually work to solve the problems...


Popular questions:

"The Founding Fathers believed that there is no difference between a free society and an educated society. Our educational system, however, is woefully inadequate. How do you plan to restore education as a right and core cultural value in America?"
Takeok, Boston, MA

• >> The use of vouchers is a start, but the real way to restore education is to let ALL parents choose the schools their children go to. Local, State and Federal taxes paid for education should be redirected 100% to the school of the parent's choice, whether that be a private school, religious school, whatever; competition is the only solution.

"For students graduating from college and graduate school, many of us have obscene amounts of debt. Do you have any plans to help alleviate some of that debt, given the current state of the job market?"
Am, Chicago, IL

• >> Nothing. It's your debt, pay it back. However, the job market I will address, by freezing capital gains at 15% and lowering business taxes from 35% to 30%, the job market will go insane with new jobs!

"Mr President What are you going to do about local public schools cutting enrichment programs (arts, science, PE) due to the budget issues? While we need to increase our education levels, yet we see less dollars for schools. Thanks Sunnyvale_mom"
sunnyvale_mom, Sunnyvale CA

• >> Again, I will mandate that all taxes that go to education instead be directed to the school of the parent's choice. That way competition will improve schools in general, and if the goal of a parent is a school with enrichment programs, then so be it, they will 'choose' that school for those funds and for their child.

"No Child Left Behind had some good ideas behind it, but a lot of bad ideas as well. If given the opportunity to change the law, what would you change about NCLB and what would you keep?"
Anthony, Long Island, NY

• >> NCLB had mostly bad ideas in the implementation. In fact, it was a bad idea all around. It is up to the parent to insure that no child is left behind, and with vouchers and 100% funding directed by parents, that will come to fruition with the free market, competition always works.

"As a college student, I am very concerned about the cost of tuition and the interest of student loans. What is going to be done to make getting a higher education easier for those of us who have to pay our own way through college?"
K Davey, Ottumwa, IA

• >> Get over it. Nothing is free, but if you fund your own way and study hard, you will get a good job after college, like the rest of us, and pay off those loans. If you are a slacker, then you shouldn't be in college in the first place.

"Teachers' salaries are being capped at astonishingly low points around the country. Teachers love what they do but cannot live anymore on these salaries. What are you doing to better the lives of teacher's and the lives of those they touch?!"
Rose, Tallahassee, FL

• >> Competition will see schools where better teachers are paid more. If you are a good teacher deserving more, the free market, once unleashed in education, will see to it that you get what you deserve.

"We have been focusing a lot on relief for homeowners, many of whom knowingly overextended themselves. But, what about relief for students who are having trouble paying back tuition loans?"
Chris, San Francisco, CA

• >> We are going to stop focusing on relief for slacker homeowners. We are going back to the free market. This is a recession, a market correction. The correction will correct itself much more quickly if government gets out of it. We will rescind all TARP and trillion dollar 'stimulus' spending, because this level of debt cannot be sustained. If you are having trouble paying back tuition loans, then you will have to cut back on those cars, big screen TV's, cell phones with cameras, etc that you have been wasting your money on. Perhaps you shouldn't have gone to college in the first place if you are a slacker that can't figure this out for yourself.

"What will you and your administration do to help make college more affordable for every American?"
JillF, Chicago, IL

• >> Nothing, it is already affordable, lower income families are given grants not available to higher income families, and student loans are afforded to all. If you still believe that you cannot afford to, then don't go to college, get a job after high-school.

"So much emphasis is placed on college I'm concerned that other types of education and training are being de-emphasized. How can we ensure that each person gets the education most appropriate for his or her interests and abilities?"
Celia, Texas

• >> The free-market figures these things out by itself.

"What can be done to improve our educational system? Our students need better facilities in which to learn, updated technology, better pay for teachers, and involved parents. How can we go about accomplishing all of this?"
Vanessa B, Castle Rock, Co

• >> Frankly, I'm tired of all the questions about education, ask me something else...

TelePrompTer takes oath of office, inauguration

Check out --

Barack Obama's Teleprompter's Blog »

And here is an interesting photo of Obama's Teleprompter, doing the inaugural address, Barack is there too :)

Letter from Greg Knox

Letter from Greg Knox

Here is an outstanding letter from Greg Knox, President of Knox Machinery. His company provides supplies for the "Big Three" auto makers. One day last year, Greg came to work and received this email in his inbox:

Dear Employees & Suppliers,

Congress and the current Administration will soon determine whether to provide immediate support to the domestic auto industry to help it through one of the most difficult economic times in our nation's history. Your elected officials must hear from all of us now on why this support is critical to our continuing the progress we began prior to the global financial crisis......................As an employee or supplier, you have a lot at stake and continue to be one of our most effective and passionate voices. I know GM can count on you to have your voice heard.

Thank you for your urgent action and ongoing support.

Troy Clarke
President General Motors North America

So Greg sat down at his computer and started typing out a response to the President of GM. When he was finished, he sent the letter to his mother. Like a good mother, she wanted to share it with others .. and the letter soon became viral on the Internet. Once you read it, I think you will understand why.

Response from:
Gregory Knox, Pres.
Knox Machinery Company
Franklin, Ohio

Gentlemen:

In response to your request to contact legislators and ask for a bailout for the Big Three automakers please consider the following, and please pass my thoughts on to Troy Clark, President of General Motors North America.

Politicians and Management of the Big 3 are both infected with the same entitlement mentality that has spread like cancerous germs in UAW halls for the last countless decades, and whose plague is now sweeping this nation, awaiting our new "messiah", Pres-elect Obama, to wave his magic wand and make all our problems go away, while at the same time allowing our once great nation to keep "living the dream"... Believe me folks, The dream is over!

This dream where we can ignore the consumer for years while management myopically focuses on its personal rewards packages at the same time that our factories have been filled with the worlds most overpaid, arrogant, ignorant and laziest entitlement minded "laborers" without paying the price for these atrocities...this dream where you still think the masses will line up to buy our products for ever and ever.

Don't even think about telling me I'm wrong. Don't accuse me of not knowing of what I speak. I have called on Ford, GM, Chrysler, TRW, Delphi, Kelsey Hayes, American Axle and countless other automotive OEM's throughout the Midwest during the past 30 years and what I've seen over those years in these union shops can only be described as disgusting.

Troy Clarke, President of General Motors North America, states: "There is widespread sentiment throughout this country, and our government, and especially via the news media, that the current crisis is completely the result of bad management which it certainly is not."

You're right Mr. Clarke, it's not JUST management...how about the electricians who walk around the plants like lords in feudal times, making people wait on them for countless hours while they drag ass...so they can come in on the weekend and make double and triple time...for a job they easily could have done within their normal 40 hour work week. How about the line workers who threaten newbies with all kinds of scare tactics...for putting out too many parts on a shift...and for being too productive (We certainly must not expose those lazy bums who have been getting overpaid for decades for their horrific underproduction, must we?!?)

Do you folks really not know about this stuff?!? How about this great sentiment abridged from Mr. Clarke's sad plea: "over the last few years ...we have closed the quality and efficiency gaps with our competitors." What the hell has Detroit been doing for the last 40 years?!? Did we really JUST wake up to the gaps in quality and efficiency between us and them? The K car vs. the Accord? The Pinto vs. the Civic?!? Do I need to go on? What a joke!

We are living through the inevitable outcome of the actions of the United States auto industry for decades. It's time to pay for your sins, Detroit.

I attended an economic summit last week where brilliant economist, Alan Beaulieu, from the Institute of Trend Research, surprised the crowd when he said he would not have given the banks a penny of "bailout money".

"Yes, he said, this would cause short term problems," but despite what people like politicians and corporate magnates would have us believe, the sun would in fact rise the next day... and the following very important thing would happen...where there had been greedy and sloppy banks, new efficient ones would pop up...that is how a free market system works...it does work...if we would only let it work..."

But for some nondescript reason we are now deciding that the rest of the world is right and that capitalism doesn't work - that we need the government to step in and "save us"...Save us my ass, Hell - we're nationalizing...and unfortunately too many of our once fine nation's citizens don't even have a clue that this is what is really happening...But, they sure can tell you the stats on their favorite sports teams...yeah - THAT'S really important, isn't it...

Does it ever occur to ANYONE that the "competition" has been producing vehicles, EXTREMELY PROFITABLY, for decades in this country?... How can that be??? Let's see... Fuel efficient... Listening to customers... Investing in the proper tooling and automation for the long haul...

Not being too complacent or arrogant to listen to Dr. W. Edwards Deming four decades ago when he taught that by adopting appropriate principles of management, organizations could increase quality and simultaneously reduce costs. Ever increased productivity through quality and intelligent planning... Treating vendors like strategic partners, rather than like "the enemy"... Efficient front and back offices... Non union environment...

Again, I could go on and on, but I really wouldn't be telling anyone anything they really don't already know down deep in their hearts.

I have six children, so I am not unfamiliar with the concept of wanting someone to bail you out of a mess that you have gotten yourself into - my children do this on a weekly, if not daily basis, as I did when I was their age. I do for them what my parents did for me (one of their greatest gifts, by the way) - I make them stand on their own two feet and accept the consequences of their actions and work through it. Radical concept, huh... Am I there for them in the wings? Of course - but only until such time as they need to be fully on their own as adults..

I don't want to oversimplify a complex situation, but there certainly are unmistakable parallels here between the proper role of parenting and government. Detroit and the United States need to pay for their sins. Bad news people - it's coming whether we like it or not. The newly elected Messiah really doesn't have a magic wand big enough to "make it all go away." I laughed as I heard Obama "reeling it back in" almost immediately after the final vote count was tallied..."we really might not do it in a year...or in four..." Where the Hell was that kind of talk when he was RUNNING for office.

Stop trying to put off the inevitable folks ... That house in Florida really isn't worth $750,000... People who jump across a border really don't deserve free health care benefits... That job driving that forklift for the Big 3 really isn't worth $85,000 a year... We really shouldn't allow Wal-Mart to stock their shelves with products acquired from a country that unfairly manipulates their currency and has the most atrocious human rights infractions on the face of the globe...

That couple whose combined income is less than $50,000 really shouldn't be living in that $485,000 home... Let the market correct itself folks - it will. Yes it will be painful, but it's gonna' be painful either way, and the bright side of my proposal is that on the other side of it all, is a nation that appreciates what it has...and doesn't live beyond its means...and gets back to basics...and redevelops the patriotic work ethic that made it the greatest nation in the history of the world...and probably turns back to God.

Sorry - don't cut my head off, I'm just the messenger sharing with you the "bad news". I hope you take it to heart.

Gregory J. Knox, President
Knox Machinery, Inc.
Franklin, Ohio 45005

LETTER FROM A LAW STUDENT

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters,

We've stuck together since the late 1950s, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know that we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and just will not ever agree on what's right. So let's just end it right now while we can do it on friendly terms. We can smile, shake hands, chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and each go our own way.

So here's a model separation agreement.

Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by land mass, each taking a portion. That's going to be the difficult part, but I'm sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy. Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate taste. We don't like redistributive taxes so you can have those. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. And since you hate guns and you hate war, we'll take the firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell. But you are going to be responsible for finding a biodiesel vehicle big enough to haul them around.

We'll keep the capitalism, the greedy corporations, the pharmaceutical companies; we will keep Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have the homeless, the homeboys, the hippies and illegal aliens. We will keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, the greedy CEOS and all of the rednecks. We'll keep the Bibles and we'll let you have NBC and Hollywood.

You can be nice to Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer anybody that threatens us. You can have the peaceniks and the war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we will provide them with security. You won't have to worry about it. We will keep our Judeo-Christian values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley Maclaine. You can also have the UN, but we will no longer pay the bill.

We will keep the SUVs, the pickup trucks and the oversize luxury cars. You can have the compacts, the subcompacts and every Subaru station wagon you can find. You can give everybody healthcare, if you can find any practicing doctors. We will continue to believe that healthcare is a privilege and not a right. We will keep "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the national anthem, and I am sure you will be happy to substitute in their place "Imagine." I'd like to teach the world to sing "Kumbaya" or "We are the world." We will practice trickle-down economics and you can give trickle-up poverty your best shot. And since it so offends you, we will keep our history, our name and our flag.

Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along other like-minded liberal and conservative patriots. And if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the friendly spirit of parting, I'll bet you ANWAR which one of us will need whose help in about 15 years.

Sincerely,

John J Wall

Law student and an American

P.S. You can also have Barbara Streisand and Jane Fonda

Obama turns hope to reality, I hoped he would fail, and he is!

You know,
Obama really has turned hope into reality.
I no longer have to HOPE he fails.
He is failing, miserably!

these so-called 'truths' - tenants of socialism

Truth can stand by itself - Jefferson

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson

That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.

Thomas Jefferson

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

Thomas Jefferson

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

Thomas Jefferson

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.
Thomas Jefferson

As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now let us show them we can fight like men also.

Thomas Jefferson

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.

Thomas Jefferson

It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.

Thomas Jefferson 

Never spend your money before you have earned it.
Thomas Jefferson 

Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson 

Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then be trusted with the government of others?
Thomas Jefferson

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson 

"From the moment that to preserve our rights a change of government became necessary, no doubt could be entertained that a republican form was most consonant with reason, with right, with the freedom of man, and with the character and situation of our fellow citizens."
Thomas Jefferson

If we were directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we would soon want for bread.
Thomas Jefferson

FAIL! Because I want America to succeed!

Fail, of course I want Obama to fail in his agenda.Because I want America to succeed!

A taxpayer, quick, someone get their money

US Corporate tax rates highest in the world

I wish Obama's administration and the congress would review our Corporate tax rates, perhaps lower them just a bit to stay competitive and stimulate HIRING. Since most federal revenue comes from individuals anyway, let him do whatever he wants with the 'individual' taxes, just adjust business taxes, and somehow incorporate small businesses that declare as individuals as actual businesses, and at an attractive rate to keep them competative.

Note that Pennsylvania is no. 2.

Ireland is the lowest, and their business climate has exploded in the last decade.

US Corporate Tax Rates vs. All OECD Countries

Comparing US Corporate Tax Rates to 30 OECD Countries (2008)
OECD stands for the international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, an organization of thirty (30) countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and free-market economy.

OECD Overall Rank	Country/State	Federal Rate Adjusted	Top State Corporate Tax Rate	Combined Federal and State Rate (Adjusted) (a)	US Rank
	Iowa	35	12	41.6	1
	Pennsylvania	35	9.99	41.5	2
	Minnesota	35	9.8	41.4	3
	Massachusetts	35	9.5	41.2	4
	Alaska	35	9.4	41.1	5
	New Jersey	35	9.36	41.1	6
	Rhode Island	35	9	40.9	7
	West Virginia	35	9	40.9	8
	Maine	35	8.93	40.8	9
	Vermont	35	8.9	40.8	10
	California	35	8.84	40.7	11
	Delaware	35	8.7	40.7	12
	Indiana	35	8.5	40.5	13
	New Hampshire	35	8.5	40.5	14
	Wisconsin	35	7.9	40.1	15
	Nebraska	35	7.81	40.1	16
	Idaho	35	7.6	39.9	17
	New Mexico	35	7.6	39.9	18
	Connecticut	35	7.5	39.9	19
	New York	35	7.5	39.9	20
	Kansas	35	7.35	39.8	21
	Illinois	35	7.3	39.7	22
	Maryland	35	7	39.6	23
	North Dakota	35	7	39.6	24
1	Japan	30	11.56	39.54
	Arizona	35	6.968	39.5	25
	North Carolina	35	6.9	39.5	26
	Montana	35	6.75	39.4	27
	Oregon	35	6.6	39.3	28
2	United States	35	6.57	39.27
	Arkansas	35	6.5	39.2	29
	Tennessee	35	6.5	39.2	30
	Washington *	35	6.4	39.2	31
	Hawaii	35	6.4	39.2	32
3	Germany	26.38	17	38.9
	Michigan *	35	6	38.9	33
	Georgia	35	6	38.9	34
	Kentucky	35	6	38.9	35
	Oklahoma	35	6	38.9	36
	Virginia	35	6	38.9	37
	Florida	35	5.5	38.6	38
	Louisiana	35	8	38.5	39
	Missouri	35	6.25	38.4	40
	Ohio	35	5.1	38.3	41
	Mississippi	35	5	38.3	42
	South Carolina	35	5	38.3	43
	Utah	35	5	38.3	44
	Colorado	35	4.63	38	45
	Alabama	35	6.5	37.8	46
4	Canada	22.1	14	36.1
	Texas *	35	1.6	36.0	47
	Nevada	35	0	35.0	48
	South Dakota	35	0	35.0	49
	Wyoming	35	0	35.0	50
5	France	34.43	0	34.4
6	Belgium	33.99	0	33.99
7	Italy	33	0	33
8	New Zealand	33	0	33
9	Spain	32.5	0	32.5
10	Luxembourg	22.88	7.5	30.38
11	Australia	30	0	30
12	United Kingdom	30	0	30
13	Mexico	28	0	28
14	Norway	28	0	28
15	Sweden	28	0	28
16	South Korea **	25	2.5	27.5
17	Portugal	25	1.5	26.5
18	Finland	26	0	26
19	Netherlands	25.5	0	25.5
20	Austria	25	0	25
21	Denmark	25	0	25
22	Greece	25	0	25
23	Czech Republic	24	0	24
24	Switzerland	8.50	14.64	21.32
25	Hungary	20	0	20
26	Turkey	20	0	20
27	Poland	19	0	19
28	Slovak Republic	19	0	19
29	Iceland	18	0	18
30	Ireland	12.5	0	12.5
OECD Overall Rank	Country/State	Federal Rate Adjusted	Top State Corporate Tax Rate	Combined Federal and State Rate (Adjusted) (a)	US Rank
*Michigan, Texas and Washington have gross receipts taxes rather than traditional corporate income taxes. For comparison purposes, we converted the gross receipts taxes into an effective CIT rate. See Tax Foundation Notes (link below) for methodology.
** On June 3, 2008, South Korea’s Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced that it will cut the maximum corporate tax rate from 25% to 22% to stimulate economic growth. (Source: Xinhua)
(a) Combined rate adjusted for federal deduction of state taxes paid

Data compiled from: http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/22917.html
Source: OECD, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/26/56/33717459.xls

‘Captain Kirk’ as Prime Minister, don't drink the Tranya Kool-Aid

Story: ‘Captain Kirk’ Wants to be Canada’s Prime Minister

I can see it now, as Prime Minister of Canada, he might easily take control of North America, but will he be swayed by the charm of the alien?

Exploring a distant region of space, Canada is threatened by Barak, Democrat and president of the new Oligarchy of the U.S.



"Captain's log, Stardate 1513.8. Origin and purpose of the stimulus package still unknown. We've been here, held motionless, with much economic chaos, since last September, when it first became clear a radical leftist and new leader of the Democrat party would be the next president of the U.S."

"Captain's Log, Stardate, 1514.0. The TARP stimulus cube has been destroyed. Ship's damage minor, but my next decision major. Probe on ahead or turn back and close our borders to the south?"

Barak accuses Canada of not being 'fair', and devoid of 'hope' and not in favor of 'change', since they destroyed a stimulus package for Canada and considers the destruction of Canada. When Captain Kirk tries to explain to Barak what happened, extremely powerful sensor probes invade Canada in all banking systems and Barak threatens to destroy their economy if any move is made to keep government small. When Kirk dispatches Mark Steyn, a Canadian writer and political commentator, Barak destroys him and gives the parliament ten minutes to make death preparations.

Spock mentions chess; when you're checkmated, the game is over. In a side argument with Dr. McCoy, Kirk uses the word "bluff". This immediately gives him another idea: poker. He tells Barak that a saying in Canada called corbomite, undocumented in their national computer records, will destroy any attacking stimulus attempt. Kirk then dares Barak to try his high taxation on Canada, saying the Socialist government of the U.S. will be destroyed by the corbomite.

After several months and more stimulus, nothing happens, in fact, the economy worsens. Barak tells them that Canada's ecomomic destruction was "delayed" until the Democrats can verify the existence of corbomite. He demands proof, but Kirk refuses. Barak announces that a small ship will tow them to a nearby green U.S. Solar plant where their power will be destroyed with carbon caps and the parliament interned. Under tow, Kirk has the Canadian people gradually resist. Just as the Canadian economy is about to explode from the strain, it breaks free. The alien's Democrat party and government is heavily damaged and Uhura concludes that the Democrats will not likely to be rescued. But instead of destroying Barak's administration or Washington D.C. or simply leaving, Kirk decides to rescue him. He knows it could be a trick, but their mission to explore demands risks.

Kirk and McCoy transport to D.C. where they encounter a fearsome-looking dummy head that they had thought was Barak. They meet the real, child-like Barak. He heartily welcomes them and offers tranya Kool-Aid, a drink of the Democrats and much of the U.S. Main-stream Media, and 53% of the population. He explains that everything was a test to determine their true intentions. Barak then suggests a cultural exchange, and sends Hillary to remain to learn more about them. Thus Canada is swept in and swayed by the charm of the alien, the 'one', and eventually succumbs to socialism, later to become part of the Oligarchy of the U.S.

NY Tea Party protest Generational Theft